Signs of better things to come for McGinley

SUDDENLY, that light at the end of the tunnel isn’t an oncoming train for Paul McGinley.

A superb and blemishless 66 in the second round of the Nissan Irish Open at Portmarnock could hardly have been more welcome after a season of a lot more downs than ups and then came the news that he had been given an invitation to the USPGA Championship at Oak Hill, Rochester, New York State, next month. McGinley may still be a long way back from the Portmarnock leaderboard, but the signs for better things in the immediate future for the 2002 Ryder Cup hero are now a lot more positive. A 69 in the third round of the Open suggested better things and now 66 around a links as difficult as Portmarnock maintains the progression very nicely.

“I’ve been on the brink of getting into the PGA for the past few weeks and perhaps my performance in the Open gave me the extra boost I needed,” he said. “All the Ryder Cup players from last year are in now and I’m very pleased. I’ve played in three PGAs already and I think it’s a great tournament; of all the majors it’s got the strongest field. They invite the top hundred in the world and build it up with special exemptions and guys off the American order of merit. I’m looking forward to going to Oak Hill and seeing where Philip (Walton) won the Ryder Cup. I’m in the NEC WGC the week after that. It’s exciting to look forward to all of that; it’s always exciting when you are playing well. Having the opportunity of playing in these tournaments in America and it’s very important to my world ranking. It’s kind of self-perpetuating when you’re in them, you’re getting points, and if you play anyway decent, you get a lot of points.”

Meeting his aim of “playing decently” shouldn’t be beyond McGinley in his current form and he was thrilled with yesterday’s 66. “It’s a great return at Portmarnock,” he reasoned. “The golf course changed radically from what we played yesterday afternoon. An example is that the 17th on Thursday, into the wind and rain, was a drive and three wood to the front edge. Today it was a drive and pitching wedge. 18 was a drive and a four iron yesterday as good as I can hit them, today it was a drive and half a sand wedge, so the course changed considerably.

“I went through a spell when I putted very poorly, but the last few tournaments I’ve started to putt well again. No matter how well you hit the ball from tee to green, unless you putt well you’re not going to compete. I’ve been averaging 32-33 putts per round and you can’t compete on this Tour doing that.” As one who has written about how much the modern touring professional is very often afforded a soft and very lucrative living, I also find it difficult to understand why our top players should be asked to finish their rounds at a time of day when most fans have either left for the pub or home. It doesn’t seem fair to those who pay hefty admission fees (35 per head per day this week) or the players themselves. But that’s the way it is because Sky television are covering both the British Seniors and the Irish Open and it is their schedules that dictate which finishes first. In this case, the advantage rests with the senior gentlemen over in Turnberry. McGinley, a model professional, claims he has no problem with this.

“I have no complaints about finishing at 8 o’clock,” said McGinley. “Sky pay the bills at the end of the day; they’ve got a big tournament on in Scotland. We are sometimes pushed in a certain direction but like soccer money dictates and Sky call the shots.

We’re in a different world than the last time the Irish Open was in Portmarnock in terms of TV exposure.”

McGinley would dearly like to be the one to break the 21-year duck since an Irishman captured his native title but in spite of yesterday’s 66 he is still a long way off doing it on this occasion.

“It’s a tall order,” he insisted. “I’m going to have shoot another 66 tomorrow. I really put myself behind the eight ball with yesterday’s 74. You can’t have a 74 these days and entertain serious hopes of winning a golf tournament. Starting today, I was ten shots behind the guy who nearly won the British Open last week so being realistic, it’s very much a long shot.”

McGinley shot six birdies and had no blemishes in yesterday’s 66 that included five gains on the back nine which he played first. He may still regard outright victory as unlikely but doesn’t downplay what winning the Irish Open some day would mean to him. “It’s right up there with me being so patriotic, so Irish, I’d have the same views as Pádraig (Harrington) and probably Darren (Clarke) as well,” he agreed. “To win your national Open is huge. It’s a difficult thing to do and you have to give credit to Bernhard Langer who has won the German Open three or four times.”